Remember Your Home
by NextAirAvatar
Summary: Barry has been missing for seven months, and Team Flash can't find any leads to where he might be. When a new speedster shows up in Central City, will Barry finally be found? Will he be the same Barry that he was before he went missing?
1. Faded

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **The Flash**_

* * *

 **Three Months Ago**

 _At first, the only thing he could hear was the sound of his own heavy, desperate breathing. The world was blurred when he dragged his eyelids open._

 _The young man was tightly strapped to a reclined metal chair in the center of an empty, dimly lit room._

 _The man's thoughts were sluggish, yet they still plagued into his mind. Who was he? Where was he? Why couldn't he remember?_

 _His head pounded._

 _Then a deep voice interrupted his thoughts. "Welcome back."_

 _For some unknown reason, the voice caused a wave of fear to pass through the young man._

 _The restrained man blinked lethargically. His vision cleared to reveal a large person who was dressed head-to-toe in black. A dark mask obstructed their face._

" _Let's see how much progress we've made." The stranger boomed, as they reached toward the young man's head._

" _Wha…" The young man protested weakly._

 _When the fingertips made contact with his temples, a surge of energy entered the young man's body, causing him to cry out in simultaneous agony and shock. His wrists and ankles strained against his restraints._

 _And although the young man couldn't recall a single memory, the intense feeling of torment was oddly familiar._

 **Present**

Joe West never stopped going to work throughout the seven months his oldest son, Barry, has been missing.

Under different circumstances, a parent wouldn't want to go back to their job while their child was suffering somewhere or possibly dead, but Joe is one of Central City's best detectives, and he has worked Barry's case tirelessly since the beginning. Although there wasn't much he could do unless he wanted to reveal Barry as The Flash.

Even as the days turned into weeks, then months, Joe continued his job in case someone somewhere found a lead to where his Barr was taken. But continuing his job forced Joe to also deal with all the other cases that come up. The cases he'd rather not have to work on, like the bank robbery that occurred today.

As the detective is surveying the crime scene, a conversation between an officer and a female witness catches his attention.

"There was… some kind of electricity and wind, and then all of a sudden a guy just appeared out of nowhere." The woman attempts to describe.

The officer probes further, "What did they look like?"

"I- I couldn't see him very well. He was fuzzy. If that makes sense."

Joe is slightly shocked.

' _Could it be a speedster?'_ He thinks, ' _There hasn't been a speedster in Central City since Barry fought Zoom- '_

The room seemed to be shrinking. Joe has to get out of there.

As soon as the detective is out the door, he dials the number of someone he hasn't talked to in months.

"Cisco, are you at STAR Labs? There's a new metahuman causing trouble…"

AT STAR LABS

"Why are there so many speedster villains?" Cisco half-jokingly complains.

This is the first time that Caitlin, Cisco, and Joe have been in the cortex together in a long while.

The last time was when Barry had been missing for four months. The search was going nowhere, and Joe, quickly becoming discouraged, snapped at his son's friends before storming off. He accused them of not trying hard enough, and not caring about their friend.

Since then, Joe exclusively communicated with the team via over the phone. Even that communication dwindled down to nothing over time. Iris and Wally are still greatly involved with Team Flash, and Joe just expected them to inform him if anything new came up in the search, not that there was anything that actually came up. It was all a dead end.

So, Detective West finds himself asking why he would even come back after something as simple as a bank robbery (well, simple compared to some of the villains they've dealt with in the past). Maybe this meta's powers are hitting too close to home. Maybe he hopes that this could be a connection to finding his son. Whatever the reason, coming back to STAR Labs is like opening a curtain after being used to the dark for so long. It's giving Joe some hope.

"I'm looking at some of the traffic cams, and all I'm seeing is yellow lighting and a blur." Caitlin explains, displaying the video feed on the large monitor.

"What about the security cameras at the bank?" Joe asks.

Cisco swiftly answers, "Dismantled. Probably by the speedster."

"What about a speedster?" Iris' familiar voice chimes in from the doorway, causing everyone to swivel around.

Joe opens his mouth and hesitates, but the look on his daughter's face forces him to answer. "A speedster robbed Central City Bank this morning."

"Why didn't you call me when it happened?" Iris demands.

"I didn't want to upset you, baby."

"I can handle my own emotions, dad!"

Cisco jumps in, "Alright, let's all just calm down."

Joe's phone rings just then. After a brief conversation, he hangs up. "I have to get back to the station. I'll let you know if anything new comes up in the case."

After her father is out of earshot, Iris turns to Cisco and Caitlin, "Does this new metahuman have anything to do with Barry?"

"We don't have very much information on him yet, but we'll do everything we can to figure this out." Caitlin responds.

Iris sighs in frustration and puts her head in her hands.

Cisco places a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, we _will_ figure this out, okay?"

"I just miss him so much." The journalist sobs.

Then Caitlin's arms wrap around Iris' shaking form, "We'll bring Barry home. We have to."

The scientist isn't quite sure if that statement is supposed to comfort Iris or herself, but it doesn't seem to make either of them feel better.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! There will be plenty more chapters coming as soon as I can write them. In the meantime, I love feedback and I would appreciate it so much if you left a review!**


	2. Isolation

**Thank you for the sweet reviews! I really appreciate the support!**

 **This story takes place after Season 2, but as if Flashpoint never happened.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own** _ **The Flash**_

* * *

Cisco Ramon stares blankly at his computer screen, his lips pursed. It's late at night, and the buzz about the new speedster's arrival has worn off to the point where all that remains are the lingering reminders of the day that Barry disappeared. Cisco can't stop the memories from surfacing.

 _It was supposed to be quick. Deal with the metahuman activity coming from a warehouse outside of town, then come right back to STAR Labs. Easy, right? Caitlin wasn't even in the cortex helping Cisco work behind the scenes._

" _How much further?" The Flash asked over the comms as he raced away from Central City._

" _Should be another mile, on your left." Cisco replied._

 _From the cortex of STAR Labs, Cisco hacks into the security camera in the warehouse, where large amounts of energy were being detected. That much energy could only come from a meta._

 _The monitor displayed a man standing in the middle of the room, his back facing the camera. Barry cautiously entered into view._

 _The metahuman spoke first, "Ah, Flash. I was hoping you would show up."_

" _Oh yeah? Why's that?" Barry asked suspiciously._

" _Because I have great plans for you." The meta responds, and threw his arms out at his sides. Energy expelled from his body in a wave, causing the security camera to go offline, and static to fill the comms._

 _Cisco's spine straightened. He leaned forward in his chair. "Barry? Can you hear me? Barry!"_

 _Only static answered him. Cisco sat in worried silence for a few moments then, miraculously, the comms came back online._

 _However, Cisco's worry didn't fade. Barry's shouts of pain replaced the deafening static._

" _Barry! Answer me!" Cisco tried again, but no response came from the superhero._

 _Cisco grabbed his phone and calls the only person he can think of that could reach his friend quickly._

" _Joe! Where are you right now?"_

 _Then Barry's shouts fall silent._

 _When the detective arrived at the warehouse, it was empty._

" _He's not here, Cisco." Panic was prominent in his voice._

 _Cisco was watching two screens: one displayed the layout of the warehouse, and the other showed The Flash's location._

" _That's not what his tracker says. Keep looking. Barry_ has _to be there."_

 _Joe searched the entire building, but found nothing. After an hour, Barry's location disappeared altogether. Team Flash looked all over Central City in the following days, but found no clues._

 _The metahuman never showed up again. He seemed to vanish… along with Barry._

Cisco pushes himself away from the desk with one, hard movement.

"Why did this have to happen?" He yells into the empty room.

* * *

The following morning Detective West wearily enters the precinct after a sleepless night.

"Joe," a familiar voice calls.

"Captain Singh." Joe greets his boss.

"How are you holding up today?" The Captain takes in the bags under Joe's eyes.

The Detective sighs, "It's been rough. I don't know how much longer I can do this."

Singh places a hand on Joe's shoulder. "I know, but we'll find Allen."

"Tha-" Then a strong wind materializes, causing papers to fly in all directions.

Everyone looks around frantically as a lightning engulfed figure races around the workspace. Officers raise their guns and attempt to aim at the speedster, but it's no use.

The speedster stops running, instead stands facing everyone in the room. The cops keep their guns trained on the figure.

Since the speedster is vibrating his entire body, the only defining features that Joe can make out are that this speedster is tall and male.

"Who are you?" Captain Singh calls out.

The speedster simply tilts his head to the side in response.

One police officer concludes that this metahuman can't be trusted, and he fires. The speedster catches the bullet with ease and lets it drop to the floor with a ping.

Suddenly the speedster is in the offending officer's face. The officer shrinks back, trembling. In an instant, the speedster leaves in a flurry of lightning and wind.

Everyone searches the room, but the meta is nowhere to be seen.

Detective West makes his way toward the elevator, his phone at his ear.

* * *

Joe rushes into the cortex where Caitlin and Cisco are waiting for him. Joe tried to fill them as much as he could in over the phone, but he still feels more comfortable being at STAR Labs to handle this new meta.

Before anyone can say anything, a blast of air streams past them. It's a telltale sign of a speedster, but the metahuman is nowhere to be seen, having left as soon as he appeared.

"Where did he go?" Joe asks, looking around frantically.

"I don't know." Cisco types wildly on his keyboard, searching for any indication as to where the speedster ran off too.

"Oh my…" Caitlin's distraught voice causes both men to put their attention on her. They follow her wide-eyed gaze to an object sitting on the desk in front of her.

Lying on top of the scattered papers is The Flash's unmistakable white and gold lightning bolt emblem.

* * *

 _7 Months Ago_

 _Barry Allen woke up in a dark, empty, cell-sized room. His head pounded, yet he desperately tried to remember how he had gotten there. The last thing he could remember was fighting a metahuman. There was pain. A lot of it. Then nothing._

 _He hoisted himself up and fought off the dizziness that overcame him. Barry then shuffled to the locked door. The metal was cold as he pounded on it with both fists. He tried to phase through it, but to no avail. The door must have been made of some sort of special material._

" _Hey! Let me out!" He shouted, voice slightly hoarse._

 _When no answer came, they young man slid to the floor. He sat there for what seemed like hours._

 _The sound of metal on metal infiltrated the silence. A small slot in the door opened, and a tray holding a bland meal slid through._

 _Barry jumped up, "Hey! Who are you? Why am I here?"_

 _But the slot closed without an answer from the other side._

" _Wait!" He yelled, and struck at the slot but it was sealed._

 _Barry looked down at the food in front of him. There was some kind of meat-looking substance, a slice of bread, and a small tin of water. Even though it didn't look appetizing at all, Barr's stomach protested loudly. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. So, the young man choked it down._

 _Hours passed slowly. Those hours turned into days, then weeks. Barry had no idea exactly how long he had been stuck there, however. He slept when he was tired, and ate when food was slid into his room. Eventually, Barry stopped calling out to anyone who might be outside the door._

 _With no one to talk to, Barry could feel himself begin to go a bit insane. He would see a light appear out of the corner of his eye. Thinking the door was finally open, he swerved his head around. Yet nothing was there, and the door was as tightly shut as it always was._

 _Ultimately, Barry stopped caring whether or not he was actually losing his mind because his hallucinations gave him something to think about besides his family and friends who he missed so bad that it physically hurt his heart._

 _The more lifelike hallucinations started with being woken up by the sound of barking. Barry cracked his eyes open to find a small Yorkshire Terrier starring at him. The dog looked exactly like the one his neighbors had back when he lived with his parents._

" _Teddy?" Barry mumbled, his voice rough from disuse._

 _At the sound of his name, the dog ran forward. But in the blink of an eye, Teddy vanished._

 _Similar hallucinations continued. Barry saw his sixth grade English teacher, who hated all her students. He saw his mother, who looked exactly like he remembered her. He even saw himself once, which was a bit strange to say the least. The visions always ended at some point._

 _Everything changed one day after Barry had been locked in the room for months. Barry was laying on the floor, slightly curled in on himself, when light filled the room. The door had finally opened._

 _At first Barry thought it was another hallucination, but he didn't recognize the man standing in the doorway._

" _I think you're finally ready for the next step, Flash." The man boomed._

 _Only when the man dragged him from the room, did Barry understand that it was real._


	3. Inconsistent

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own** _ **The Flash**_

* * *

 _5 Months Ago_

 _Nothing made any concreate sense to Barry. His brain felt like mush, and the world seemed to spin and fade in and out._

 _He was sure of one thing, however: the man fully dressed in black brought pain._

 _That very man was standing in front of Barry right then. When this man wrapped his fingers around Barry's head, white agony filled the speedster's body._

 _The pain brought a memory forward. The memory was never a good one._

 _This time it was of his father. Barry was nine years old, and he was picking up a pizza with his dad. They talked and laughed the whole way to and from the pizza parlor. But it ended when they got home._

 _Young Barry was holding the pizza box on his lap, Henry opened the door for his son. Barry wasn't holding onto it hard enough, and the box containing their dinner fell onto the ground top-first._

 _Barry's dad had never been an angry man, but due to a hard day at work, the man just exploded._

" _I'm sorry!" Barry immediately called out. But Henry didn't listen._

 _After his dad stormed through the door, Barry's mom asked with concern, "What's wrong?"_

 _To which his father replied, "Your son ruined dinner."_

 _Barry was in tears by that point._

 _Nora opened the pizza box. "It's fine. Some of the cheese slid off but it's still edible."_

 _So they ate the pizza in complete silence._

 _Later that night, Barry's father apologized, but that part of the memory wasn't as visible in Barry's mind._

 _The mysterious man pulled his hands away from Barry's head, and the speedster found himself crying._

 _He wasn't given much time to get his bearings when the man's fingers were back against his temples, and pain ripped through Barry again. Along with another memory, this time about Iris._

 _Barry was excitedly waiting for Iris in Jitters. She walked through the door and took off her grey jacket._

" _Hey!" He greeted, big smile on his face._

" _Hi." She greeted back, smile on her face as well._

" _One incredibly heavy cronut, and one Americano with an extra shot. Just the way you like it."_

 _Iris responded, "Just the way I like it." At the same time as Barry._

" _I know. I know you, Iris."_

 _After a moment, Iris reacted with, "So, um, what is going on with you? You're acting like Christmas came early." She took a sip of her coffee._

 _Barry chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it did. Kind of." He took his hand in hers, "Iris, um, I still think about you all the time, and I know you've been thinking about me too, so let's just stop thinking and start doing-"_

" _Barry-" Iris interrupted, smile gone from her face._

" _I know, I know that we both have awful timing, but we were meant to be toge-"_

" _Barry, what are you talking about?"_

 _He was confused. "You and me. We like each other."_

 _Iris pulled away from Barry, and looked him in the eye, "Barry, we've been over this, okay? Nothing has changed for me."_

" _No, but it has."_

" _How do you know that?"_

 _Barry searched her face, but he didn't find any of the love her saw earlier, in the other timeline before the tsunami hit. "I just… I just know some stuff somehow. Er, I don't know. Maybe it's like ESP or something, bu-"_

" _Barry. I love Eddie. Okay?" She grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair. "I'm sorry, but nothing has changed for me since Christmas. And you can't keep springing this on me, okay?" She stood up. "It's not fair that you keep making me the bad guy that keeps telling you no."_

 _Then she left with a sigh, leaving Barry alone in the coffee shop._

 _The memory ended there, and the hands came off Barry's head._

 _Through his sobs, Barry screamed out, "Why? Why are you doing this to me?"_

 _The man just turned and left._

 _But he would be back soon. And all that would happen over again. Only with different memories._

* * *

Iris rushes through the elevator and into the cortex, Wally following close behind her. The reporter stops in her tracks when she sees The Flash's emblem sitting on the desk between her dad and her friends.

"Oh my gosh. Barry." She gasps, rushing forward and taking the lightning bolt symbol in her hands. "I wasn't sure that I believed it when you told me over the phone." She whispers.

"But this is a good thing, right? The speedster must have Barry, and that means we can find him." Wally chimes in.

Caitlin points out, "Barry _was_ wearing his suit when he went missing. There wouldn't be any other way for the speedster to get it."

"Yeah, but what I don't understand is that the metahuman Barry went to fight didn't have super speed." Cisco responds.

"You know what else is fishy? Why would the speedster leave The Flash's insignia here after robbing a bank and showing up at the CCPD? It's almost like he's playing some sort of sick game with us." Joe questions.

"Looks like you got one thing right," an all too familiar voice rings throughout the room.

Before any of Team Flash can react, a rush of wind and golden lightning sweeps past them.

The voice, much closer now, continues, "Guess that's why you're a detective."

Everyone's gaze swivels toward the young man standing in the cortex. Iris's jaw drops as she takes in the face that she knows so well.

"Barry?" She whispers. The reporter steps toward the person she thought she'd lost forever. Her arm rises to touch his face, even though something is off in his expression. His green eyes, once friendly and bright, had turned cold and dull. In place of his wide smile is now a small, twisted leer. Not to mention that he's much skinnier than when she last saw him.

Barry speeds to the opposite side of the room before Iris's fingers make contact with his cheek.

No one speaks or even makes a move. They should be hugging, happy that Barry is back home. But this isn't the same Barry that they knew.

"What happened to you, man?" Cisco asks softly.

Barry lets out a dry, mocking laugh; something so un-Barry-like. "What happened to me?" He begins walking in a slow, deliberate circle around the room. "I was tortured while my "family" just continued on with their lives."

Each person flinched at the accusation.

"We searched everywhere for you, Bar. We never stopped looking." Joe explains.

"Of course you didn't. That's why it's been seven months." Barry responds curtly.

With tears streaming steadily down her face, Iris finds her voice again, "We would never give up on you, Barry."

"You did more than give up on me. You used me, manipulated me, abandoned me. And now I'm going to return the favor. By making your lives a living hell."

Cisco fingers the tranquilizer gun he has kept there since Zoom dragged Barry's beaten and barley conscious body through Central City and into STAR Labs. Cisco is beginning to realize that Barry isn't right in his mind. Whatever his kidnapper did to him left the young man broken. The Flash needs to be stopped before he does something he'll end up regretting.

The difficult part will be catching the speedster by surprise.

Cisco makes eye contact with Caitlin. She seems to know immediately what he's thinking, and gives a tiny nod.

"Barry, you're not okay. Let me run some tests, maybe do some scans." Caitlin says gently.

Barry tilts his head in an almost crazed sort of way. He slowly strides in Caitlin's direction until he's in her face, but she doesn't back down. Instead, the doctor looks directly into her friend's eyes.

With Barry facing away from Cisco, he slowly pulls the tranqu gun to his shoulder, waiting for an opportunity.

"No, I'm not okay, Caitlin. And neither will any of you when I'm finished." Barry declares, eerily calm.

"Let me help you." Caitlin responds, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Barry pulls back as if he'd been burned. At that same moment, Cisco pulls the trigger. The tranquilizer dart hits its mark, the needle sinking into the back of the speedster's shoulder.

Barry's body goes limp almost immediately, and he hits the floor with a thump. In the moments before unconsciousness takes hold of him, Barry looks almost like himself again.

The room seems to take a sigh of relief.

Joe breaks the moment of stillness, "Let's get him into the pipeline before he wakes up."

* * *

Team Flash is all there when Barry wakes. There's a brief look of panic on his face when his eyes open, but it's gone in an instant when he realizes where he is.

The Flash stands, a mocking smirk prominent on his face, "Here you all are, preaching about love and how you never gave up on me, yet you threw me in a cell like a prisoner."

"This is for your own good, Bar. We need to protect you from yourself." Joe responds, trying not to show how much his son's words hurt him.

"You aren't thinking clearly." Cisco adds.

"My mind has never been more clear than it is now." Barry looks Cisco straight in the eye, "You're going to regret throwing me in here. If I can get out of _that_ place, I can definitely get out of" he slams his palms on the glass "this."

Cisco looks for any sign of his friend in the eyes of a now stranger, but finds nothing. "What happened to you?" He whispers.

Iris lets out a barely contained sob before turning and running out of the room.

Wally, who has been quietly watching, murmurs, "I'm going to go see if she's alright." He inches down the ramp.

"I'll come with you." Caitlin says, needing to get away.

After the two of them leave, Cisco puts a hand on Joe's shoulder, "Come on, let's get out of here. We'll figure out what to do next." He mumbles in the detective's ear.

Joe nods, causing Barry to clench his jaw.

Cisco places his fingers on the control pad. Before the metal door closes over Barry's cell, Joe calls out to his son, "We're going to help you, Bar. I promise."


	4. Deprived

**Thanks for all the support for the last chapter! Also, thank you for being patient with me. I've had a few bumps in the road that delayed me putting this chapter up. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own _The Flash_**

* * *

 _Four months ago_

 _All he wanted to do was sleep, but the man wouldn't let him. Every time Barry tried to close his eyes, pain overwhelmed his body and images overwhelmed his mind._

 _This memory began with Barry speaking, "Snart wasn't another metahuman. He has some kind of gun. I froze things." He picks up his jacket. "It slowed me down. Enough that I wasn't in time to save someone."_

" _According to his records, Snart didn't even bother to finish high school, so how did he build a hand-held high-tech snow machine?" A blond woman with glasses asked. Familiarity prickled through the memory. At first, Barry couldn't remember who she was, then a name burst through his mind: Felicity._

" _STAR Labs built the cold gun." A man in the wheelchair calmly responded. Who was it? Barry's could feel a headache beginning._

" _Dr. Wells and Caitlin had nothing to do with this." Dr. Wells! That's who it was. "I built the gun." He remembered who said this. It was Cisco._

 _Barry could feel his past self's confusion at this statement. "You did? Why?"_

" _Because speed and cold are opposites." Cisco explains the science behind the cold gun, and how it could harm Barry and his speed, but what really caught Barry's attention was how he ended it, "I designed a compact cryo engine to achieve absolute zero. I built it to stop you."_

 _Past Barry felt a wave of betrayal, and it showed on his face._

 _Cisco tried to justify, "I-I-I didn't know who you were back then, Barry. I mean, what if you turned out to be some psycho like Mardon or Nimbus?"_

" _But I didn't! Did I?" Barry shouts back._

 _A different woman speaks up, "We built the entire structure you're standing in to do good, and it blew up. In the wake of that, you can understand why Cisco would want to be prepared for the worst." Barry couldn't place her… name was mentioned earlier… Caitlin!_

" _I can understand that, but what I can't understand is why you didn't tell me what you did. I mean after all we've been through, I thought you trusted me. I thought we were friends." Barry's voice was getting exponentially louder._

 _Cisco cut in, "We are, Barry."_

 _Barry ignored him, "I mean, if you had just told me, I could have been prepared. But instead, someone died tonight."_

 _That hit Cisco like a ton of bricks. "And I have to live with that."_

" _No, Cisco, we all do." Then Barry left STAR Labs._

 _Barry came back to the present, and the pain finally ended, if only for a moment. The copper taste of blood appeared on the speedster's tongue. Did he bite his lip? Was his nose bleeding?"_

" _I'm exhausted. Please, just let me sleep." He practically sobbed._

 _The young man was answered with rough hands back on his head and the familiar feeling of agony._

 _This time, Barry was in his teens, maybe around sixteen or seventeen. Barry had just gotten an internship, and he was excited to start. Is foster dad… Joe even let him borrow the car._

 _Then everything went south._

 _As Barry was backing out, he accidentally clipped the mailbox with the front end of the car. It wouldn't have been so bad, except for the long scratch along the vehicle._

 _What Barry had not expected, however, was Joe's reaction. Joe was moody due to some long hours on a seemingly unsolvable case. When Barry told him about the scratch, it was Joe's last straw._

" _What?! You wrecked my car?!" he exploded._

 _Barry tried to hide is shock. "Well it's a scratch, but I'll pay to get it fixed."_

" _You sure as hell are." Joe yelled before putting his head in his hands. Barry heard his foster father mumble something like, "Iris would never- why did I even take him in?"_

 _The teenage Barry was beyond shocked. How could Joe say that? Barry went to his room and bawled for hours that night._

 _As Barry watched himself cry through the memory, he tried to remember Joe apologizing, but he couldn't. Joe must have apologized, right? It's in his nature._

 _Suddenly, the memory and Barry's thoughts were cut off. The young boy fell into much needed unconsciousness._

* * *

"He might be suffering from a form of psychotic break or PTSD. It could also be from the meta's powers." Caitlin explains to Joe. She had just come back from the pipeline where she attempted to assess Barry's mental state.

"What did he say to you?" Joe asks.

"He barely responded to most of my questions, but between his actions from today and yesterday, I think we can all agree that Barry has some major personality changes."

"What can we do for him?"

"I'll need to run some more tests and a brain scan to be sure there isn't any physical damage. Until we know exactly what's wrong, there's not much else we can do. I _can_ tell that Barry is drastically underweight."

"Iris just went down to bring him some food." Joe responds.

* * *

"Just say something, Barry. Please." Iris begs her best friend.

The speedster only stares at her, unmoving, with hate in his eyes.

"Well if you aren't going to talk to me, then at least eat. You must be starving."

For the past ten minutes, Iris had been trying to get Barry to eat the Big Belly Burger that she had brought to his cell in the pipeline. He must be very hungry due to his fast metabolism, but he hadn't even looked at it.

As soon as Iris finishes her sentence, The Flash's face contorts with rage. Iris takes an involuntary step back. In all their years as friends and growing up together, she has never seen him like this.

Barry stands then growls, "You don't even know what starving is."

"Then explain it to me." Surprisingly, Iris's voice doesn't shake.

He takes a slow step toward the glass separating them. "There's no way for you to understand what I've been through. The sharp pain in your stomach, or the agonizing wait that comes with not knowing when your next barley edible meal will slide through the door. The only way you can understand is if your experience it." A wild look appears in his eyes. "I could show you."

Iris has to fight back the tears blurring her vision. "That… that really happened to you?" she whispers.

Barry scoffs and turns away from her. "Don't pretend to care now."

"I have never stopped caring about you, Barry Allen." Iris breathes tenderly.

She pauses, waiting for a response. None comes. He doesn't even face her.

Finally letting the tears flow, she turns and leaves.

Joe flocks to his daughter as soon as she enters the cortex.

"What happened?" He asks as she wipes at her wet cheeks with her hands.

"He won't eat… and he still thinks we don't love him."

"I'll go talk to him." Cisco responds, already heading to the elevator.

* * *

Barry is silent when he walks up the ramp. Cisco eyes the crumpled fast food wrappers that litter the corner of his friend's cell.

"Looks like you could eat after all. No one can refuse Big Belly Burger." Which earns a glare from Barry.

Cisco's joking demeanor vanishes. "None of us want to fight you, Barry. We want to find whoever did this to you. But we can't do it without your help and your trust."

"Why don't you just leave me alone. You're pretty good at that." Barry is obviously exasperated.

That remark stings, but Cisco doesn't give up. "What did we do wrong? Please, just explain."

The speedster stays silent.

"Fine." Cisco simply replies, then goes back to his friends that are waiting for him.

Cisco comes back looking disheartened. "He ate the food you brought him. But something is seriously wrong with Barry."

"We need to figure out _exactly_ what that metahuman did to him." Iris declares.

"How are we going to do that? Barry's the only one who knows anything about his kidnapper, and he's not telling any of us anything." Wally questions.

"Well are we absolutely positive that we haven't seen this meta before?" Joe interjects. "Cause to me this seems a lot like when Barry was whammied by that… red eyed…." Joe waves his fingers over his eye in an attempt to explain the metahuman.

"Rainbow Raider." Cisco cuts in. "It's possible."

He rushes to the computer. On his way, Cisco runs his hand over the desk, and his fingers make contact with the Flash emblem. He stops in his tracks, his eyes become unfocused.

Everyone in the room knows that look all too well.

They know Cisco is back when he gasps and his muscles relax, but he looks visibly shaken.

"What did you vibe?" Caitlin asks.

Cisco gets himself to a chair on shaking legs. "I saw Barry. He was strapped to a chair, and he was screaming. That psychopath was standing over him and grabbing his head." He holds his hands out to demonstrate what he saw.

Hearing this, Iris feels sick to her stomach. Caitlin's face seems to be frozen in shock.

"Did you see his face?" Joe asks.

"No, he was wearing this… black cloth over his face."

"So what are his powers? Was he only hurting Barry, or was he brainwashing him?" Caitlin inquires.

"Barry might be the only one who can answer that." Iris murmurs.

* * *

"Back again." Barry says as a greeting when he sees Cisco.

Cisco wastes no time trying to ease Barry into it. "I saw you. When you were being tortured. What happened when he touched your head?"

For the first time since Barry came back, he's caught off guard. The mocking smile slides off the speedster's face, replaced by shock.

"It looked painful. What was he doing to you?"

"It was worse than painful. It was unbearable." Barry mumbles.

Cisco can sense that he's beginning to break through to his friend. He steps closer. "What was happening, Barry?"

In response, Barry squeezes his eyes shut. He swiftly stands and turns away from Cisco.

"I know you don't want to relive it, Barry. But we want to catch him. Make him pay for what he did to you. But we can't do that without knowing what his powers are, and you're the only one who knows." Cisco tries again.

"You wanna know?" The speedster abruptly turns back. There's a haunted look in his eyes. "He was inside my mind!" the young man screams. Then Barry crumples to his knees. With unfocused eyes, he continues softly, "He made me remember everything. Relive all of it."

"All of what?" Cisco breathes, barely audible.

Barry's eyes focus back on Cisco. "Leave." Although his tone is soft, there's a harshness to it.

Cisco hesitates.

"I said leave!" Barry snaps.

Allowing the speedster to recover, Cisco nods and walks out.

In the short distance it takes for him to walk back to the cortex, Cisco becomes filled with determination. As soon as he's through the doorway, Cisco is talking.

"The meta is some kind of mindreader. Barry also mentioned something about him being forced to remember things…?"

Iris speaks up, "Wait, slow down. Remember things. What things?"

Cisco begins typing on his keyboard. "Barry wouldn't say. He seems overwhelmed."

"We can try to talk with him more tomorrow. Get some more specific answers." Joe offers.

"While you're doing that, I can try to get more vibes. Try to figure out where Mind Melter is hiding. Hey, not a bad name." Cisco continues after some glares and groans, "If we can catch him and bring him here, we might be able to force him to undo whatever he did to Barry."

"Or stop him from doing it to anyone else." Wally inputs.

"Personally, I just want him to answer for what he did to my son." Joe says, obvious anger in his voice.

"I'll run some tests tomorrow as well." Caitlin informs.

"We _will_ get justice for Barry." Iris promises.

"Well we finally have some information to go off of." Cisco agrees.


	5. Abused

**Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and/or followed this story! I'm so sorry that it's been this long since I've posted a chapter. I've been beyond busy for the past few months. I won't abandon this story, but it will most likely be another while until the next chapter is written. Thank you to anyone who sticks with this story. It means a lot to me!**

 **There are some medical terms and such in this chapter. I'm not a doctor, so warning: they may not be completely accurate,**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **The Flash**_

* * *

"Maybe you should take a break," Iris suggests to a visibly exhausted Cisco as she set down a steaming mug of coffee in front of him.

"I can't. I'm so close, I can feel it." The superhero responds. He has been working nonstop all night, alternating between his keyboard and the Flash's emblem.

"How's your vibing going? Have you been able to see this… Mind Melter's face?"

Cisco sighs and rubs his bloodshot eyes. "No, I'm only able to see short bits of what happened to Barry. I'm trying to find anything that'll tell me where Barry was taken or who Mind Melter is, but there's nothing there. I can't even begin guessing what he even wanted Barry for."

Iris's eyebrows knit together in concern. "Well, Caitlin is about to run some tests on Barry. Maybe that'll give us some answers."

"Alright. I should probably help her." He begins to stand, but Iris's hand on his shoulder pushes him back down into his seat.

"Woah, you need to give yourself a break." She cautions, "You're not going to be doing much if you keep going like this. Wally's helping Cait right now."

"Okay. You're right." Cisco agrees, and grips the mug, taking a careful sip of the brown liquid.

Meanwhile, Caitlin and Wally lift the unconscious Flash onto a gurney.

"Are you sure that he's completely out?" Wally asks anxiously.

Caitlin answers with confidence, "Yes, the gas we pumped into his cell is a similar formula to the tranquilizer darts. He should stay unconscious long enough for me to finish the tests. But just to be safe…" She snaps a pair of power dampening cuffs over the speedster's wrists and secures restraints over his shoulders, torso, and legs to keep him secure to the gurney.

As soon as Barry is in the med bay, Caitlin attaches electrodes to his scalp to check his brain activity. She frowns at the results.

"What is it, Caitlin?" Iris questions, not completely sure she wants to know the answer.

"The neurons in Barry's amygdala are firing very rapidly."

"So… what does that mean?" Wally asks.

Caitlin explains further, "The amygdala is a part of the brain that helps to store memories and understand emotions. It connects emotions and memories to help us know what to avoid for survival. The fact that Barry's amygdala is so active can explain his recent behavior."

"Maybe that's how Mind Melter's powers work. By targeting Barry's amygdala and forcing him to remember certain memories." Cisco offers.

"That's definitely a possibility." Caitlin agrees.

Joe speaks up, "Why is it still happening now, though? The meta isn't hurting him anymore."

Caitlin purses her lips. "I'm not sure. We need to know more about _how_ this meta's powers work."

"But what about treatment? Can we fix this now, Caitlin?" Joe presses.

The doctor opens her mouth to respond when Iris suddenly calls out, "Wait, guys. I think he's waking up."

Everyone's gazes immediately shift to the young man lying on the gurney. Sure enough, his head is slowly turning to the side and his eyelids are fluttering.

"Barry?" Iris whispers, taking a step towards him.

Joe puts a hand on his daughter's shoulder, stopping her from getting too close. "Careful, baby." He warns, wincing at the fact that he has to keep the two apart.

The Flash attempts to lift his hands, but the restraints securely hold him down. Barry's eyelids fly open. As his eyes look around wildly, he manages to understand where he is.

"Let me go!" He shouts, straining against the straps.

"This is for your own safety, Barr." Joe tries to calm his son.

"I'm going to get you for this! All of you!" The fury in Barry's voice doesn't manage to cover the fear hidden there.

Cisco suddenly interjects, "Okay that's enough. Barry, one way or another, you're going to tell me exactly what happened to you."

He strides forward, and with a quick prayer that this works, he grips the speedster's forearm.

Instantly, Cisco feels the familiar rush that accompanies a vibe. Yes! It worked! And Cisco sees it all.

* * *

 _Two months ago_

 _Barry was barely conscious and most definitely not coherent. Even though the young man wasn't able to physically stand on his own, he was still constrained to the metal chair._

 _A heavy door opened. A man, who Barry had come to know as the one who brought pain with him, stepped through the doorway and into the dimly lit room._

 _The weak superhero grunted as the man silently approached him._

 _Cold fingers touched Barry's temples, and a memory surfaced._

 _Barry was in an alley that was lit with streetlamps. He was walking toward a man laying on the ground. The man was wearing a green hood, a loaded bow in his hands._

 _The arrow flew towards Barry, who dodged it._

 _Barry turned back to the hooded man. "You missed." He smirked._

" _No." the man responded with a slight shake of his head._

 _Suddenly there was an explosion behind Barry. The blast shot him forward onto the pavement with a yell. The arrow. It must have caused it._

 _But he didn't stay down for long. When Barry looked up, the hooded man was gone. Barry swiftly stood and was met with a sudden pain in his shoulder blade._

 _As a pained shout escaped his lips, Barry heard the hooded man behind him._

" _2,000 milligrams of horse tranquilizer. Should be hitting you anytime now." He boomed._

 _Barry could feel his muscles going slack. He fell to his knee, trying to fight off the exhaustion filling his body with deep breaths._

 _Barry ripped the arrow from this shoulder and stood, still breathing deeply. He began vibrating his body, and the exhaustion cleared almost instantly._

 _He turned to face the man, who seemed to be filled with shock. Then Barry ran at him and began to circle him._

 _The hooded man then fired an arrow at a building, grappling himself out of Barry's way._

" _Where are you going?" Barry demanded. He raced to the top of the building that the hooded man was heading towards. "We're not done yet!" Barry shouted, pulling the arrow out of the concrete, causing the man to plummet downward._

 _Just before the hooded man hit the ground, he fired another grappling arrow at the building, catching himself and landing nimbly on his feet._

 _Barry was already there, waiting for the man. "Is that all you got?" Barry challenged._

 _Barry ran at the hooded man again, and they began fighting. The man would swing, and Barry would dodge. When the hooded man managed to hit Barry in the face, the speedster decided it was time to throw some punches himself. The man was too slow to do anything about it._

 _The hooded man was thrown to the ground. He pulled a small device and pressed it. Two arrows were sent flying at Barry, who turned around and caught them before they could hit their marks. "Fool me once," Barry warned._

 _Then pain exploded in his leg. The man had thrown an arrow into it. Barry shouted out in agony._

 _The memory began to fade out._

 _Barry was back in the room, soaked in sweat and the all too familiar taste of blood in his mouth._

 _The ominous man dressed in black circled the drained young man slowly, with hands resting behind his back._

" _Progress is being made. But not fast enough. I will have to speed up this process." The man asserted. He stood behind Barry, and once again, placed his fingers on the sides of Barry's head, exposing another memory._

 _Barry shuffled down the stairs, slightly out of breath. "Hey… hey you guys. Everybody okay?" he asks the three people who seem to be cleaning up a damaged living room._

" _Yeah, yeah, we're fine." A young woman answers._

 _Then the younger guy speaks up, "What'd you go hide under your bed?" His tone was mocking, and anything but playful._

 _Barry sighed and prepared himself for the backlash that was about to come._

 _The memory suddenly distorted. The older man in the memory said something, but it sounded like he was underwater._

 _Then the memory clears._

" _You know, Joe and Iris told me a lot about you." the younger guy continued, his tone condescending, "Made it out like you could walk on water or something. But they never mentioned anything about you being a coward."_

 _The young man seemed to be getting in Barry's face, challenging him._

 _The memory fades._

* * *

When Cisco comes back from the vibe, he takes a few involuntary steps backward. Shock is all over his face.

"What happened? What did you see?" Wally questions.

Cisco looks down at the now silent Barry. The speedster stares back at him with a similar shocked expression, yet anger is still hidden in his features.

"He… he made you relive your worst memories… I think he wanted you to be mad at us." Cisco utters softly.

The color drains from Iris's face. "What?" she whispers.

"How much did you see?" the speedster demands. There is no strength behind his words anymore.

Cisco looks directly into Barry's eyes. "I saw everything."


	6. Doubt

**I want to thank all you readers for being patient with me. Life has been incredibly busy, and to be honest I've lost a lot of the momentum that I had when I first started writing this story. I also want to thank the reviewers. Your reviews help me to keep writing and not abandon this story, so thank you.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **The Flash.**_

* * *

 _Three weeks ago_

 _Barry came back to consciousness slowly. His eyelids felt far too heavy, but he managed to get them open._

 _The sound of the bulky door being opened, its rusted hinges squeaking, caused the young man's heart to race despite not completely understanding why. Footsteps reverberated on the concreate floor, getting louder as they came closer to the chair Barry was restrained to._

 _The broken young man's eyes looked up to where the figure stood, towering over him. The figure reminded Barry of a shadow._

 _The shadow man spoke, voice booming, "Look at you, finally awake. I was starting to think you fell into a coma."_

 _The thundering voice caused a shiver to crawl up the superhero's spine. This was a bad man. Barry knew that much._

 _The man took a step closer to the broken young man and reached out toward his temples. Barry's thin body jerked weakly in response._

" _Noo… don't do this to me…" Barry mumbled feebly._

" _Soon enough, you'll be much more compliant." The man failed to console._

 _Then his hands made contact, and an intense, excruciating pain took over the speedster's body. It was too much. The broken young man reached his breaking point._

" _No!" Barry screamed._

 _Adrenaline surged through the speedster's body. The room lit up as golden lightning raced across his skin._

 _The shadow man went ridged with shock and surprise._

 _Barry's body began to vibrate, and he somehow managed to phase through the restraints. When the speedster stood, he stumbled._

 _The kidnapper tried to grab him, but Barry anticipated that and ran from the room._

 _As he sped through the hallways, his mind raced, but one thought was clear: 'Get out of here. Get out of here. Get out of here.'_

 _Soon enough, he found the exit. The evening sun almost blinded him as he stepped outside for the first time in months. Squinting, he continued to run through the city._

 _But the adrenaline rush began to diminish, and he slowed. Barry collapsed in an alley behind a dumpster. His body shook as he tried to catch his breath._

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait," Joe asks, confused, "so you know where Barry's kidnapper is?"

Cisco answers as he types, "Well… not exactly. When I vibed Barry, I saw him escape from where Mind Melter was keeping him. I just need to find exactly _where_ that was, which I'm searching for now."

"How do we know he's even still there?" Wally questions.

Cisco answers, "Well we don't. But this is more than we've ever had to go off of."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Joe asks.

"Not at the moment. But I may need your help when I find this guy." Cisco responds.

Joe crossed his arms across his chest. "Anything to take this madman down."

The vibing superhero suddenly straightens up. "Yahtzee!" He cheers, "I found where Barry was being held. Looks like the basement of a storage facility outside the city." After more typing, Cisco continues, "There's a heat signature. Someone's inside."

Joe speaks up, "You think that's him?"

"Only one way to find out." Cisco responds, "Time to suit up."

"Come on, Barry. Speak to me." Iris encourages as she sits in the med bay beside her best friend.

The speedster hasn't left the gurney, as Iris can't bear to bring him back to the pipeline that's meant for criminals. The power dampening cuffs are still tight and secure around his wrists, so everyone feels that Barry won't be a danger.

Not that the superhero has tried to get out of the restraints. Since Cisco vibed him, Barry has been detached. He refuses to look anyone in the eye or say a single word.

"Are you hungry, Barr?" She tries again.

No response comes from the young man.

Iris slowly reaches her hand out and places it on Barry's forearm. Barry remains still. He doesn't lean into her touch, but he doesn't flinch away either.

Just then, a loud commotion erupts outside the room. Shouts from Joe, Cisco, and even Caitlin can be heard. However, one loud, booming voice that Iris has never heard before stands apart from the rest.

The young woman stands and is about to see what is happening, but a sharp intake of air beside her causes Iris to whirl around to look at Barry.

His wide eyes are on the doorway. His face has paled dramatically, and his breath comes in quick gasps.

Before Iris can say anything, Joe, Cisco, and Wally come into view, quickly leading a bulky man in power dampening cuffs through the hallway. Barry's wide-eyed gaze follows the hulking figure.

Caitlin rushes into the med bay after the group passes. She throws a concerned look at the speedster before turning to Iris.

"They caught him." The bio-engineer whispers.

Iris feels a mixture of feelings. She feels hope that her best friend will soon be back to his normal self, but also worry for Barry. Seeing his kidnapper must be sending him back to some dark places.

"Barry?" Caitlin tries to take his attention from the doorway to no avail. She gently presses two fingers to his wrist and counts the seconds faintly. "His pulse is too high. I'm going to give him a slight sedative." She explains as she plunges a syringe into the crook of his arm.

The speedster's eyelids begin drooping. Before he completely nods off, he mumbles so quietly that the two women in the room almost miss it, "No, don't. Don't do this to me."

Iris could feel the tears begin to pool in her eyes.

"He's been through a lot of mental trauma," Caitlin speaks softly, observing Barry's relaxed face.

Iris purses her lips, looking from the unconscious hero to the hallway and back again. She needs to face the revolting man that tortured her best friend, but she can't leave Barry here. Not when he's so broken. Not when he's hurting.

Seeing this internal conflict, the doctor offers, "Go confront that monster. I'll stay with Barry."

Iris hesitates, unsure of what to do.

"Don't worry. I'll get you if anything happens."

"Thank you, Cait." Iris offers a nervous smile before striding out the door.

* * *

The atmosphere is somber when Iris enters the pipeline. Her father's jaw is locked, and his eyebrows are drawn together. Cisco and Wally stood with their arms crossed over their chests and shoulders tense. Cisco hasn't changed from his Vibe suit.

Finally, her gaze falls onto the man behind the glass. His figure is tall, and his chest is wide. Under his thick facial hair, his face is screwed into a sneer.

"This… this is him?" Iris stammers, looking to her father.

Joe nods, his eyes never leaving the meta in front of him.

"He won't talk, though," Wally speaks up.

Striding forward, Cisco responds with, "We'll see about that." Coming face-to-face with Mind Melter, the hero continues, "You hurt my friend, so I won't hesitate to do what I need to get you to explain everything. Including how to fix him."

The villain's sneer morphs into a mocking grin. "Fix him? There is no fixing him."


	7. On Alert

**Happy birthday to the Guest who commented on the last chapter! I hope this isn't too late of a birthday present.**

 **Also, welcome to all new readers! I hope you enjoy this story. Please consider leaving your thoughts in a review.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **The Flash**_

* * *

"It's no use" the villain says coolly behind the glass, "you can't even send me to prison without revealing The Flash's identity."

Iris had gone back to the med bay to be with Barry and Caitlin because she couldn't stand being around Barry's kidnapper for very long. Meanwhile, Cisco and Wally had gone to the cortex to do some research. This left Joe alone with the Mind Melter.

Joe grinds his teeth together in anger and frustration, "You're going to have to talk sometime. And if you won't willingly, don't doubt what I'll do to help my son."

Mind Melter only offers a mocking smirk in response.

"You may want to rethink the position you're in, Mind Melter," Cisco declares as he strides into the pipeline, folder in his hand and Wally following close behind.

"Or should I say," Cisco continues, "Erik Taylor."

The villain's eyes snap toward the young engineer, the smirk sliding off his face. "How do you know my name?" He practically growls.

Cisco opens the folder, although he never breaks eye contact with the man in the cell. "Before the particle accelerator explosion, you were a psychiatrist. No wife, no kids, and no contact with the rest of your family. That's how you were able to easily disappear after you got your powers."

Wally's voice comes from over Cisco's shoulder, "A psychiatrist? Oh, how the good ones go bad."

The vibing hero raises a finger, "Actually, not only was Erik here stealing money from the practice he worked for, but he also misdiagnosed enough patients to be fired and sued by those patients. This was two weeks before the particle accelerator explosion and then you mysteriously disappeared before you could be investigated further."

Taylor pounds his fists on the glass. "How did you find out about that?" he booms.

"Don't underestimate my skills, baby." Cisco taunts. "Not only can you go to jail for those crimes, but also for the string of armed robberies and kidnappings that you committed as your meta identity."

"You'll be in Iron Heights for a long time. And we don't even have to share Barry's identity." Joe throws in.

Taylor takes a few steps back, deep in thought. Then he looks to Joe. "You're a detective. You can give me a deal. I'll tell you whatever you need to know, and you make some of those crimes go away."

After a long moment, Joe reluctantly nods. "I'll see what I can do."

This earns appalled looks from the two young men beside Detective West.

"Alright then," Joe continues, "Let's start with a simple question for you: why did you take my son?"

"I wanted his power. I knew that if I could control the Flash, all of Central City would be in the palm of my hand." Taylor explains.

Wally speaks up, "How exactly did you think you could control him?"

"All of you- his team- were the only thing standing in the way. So, if I could get him to despise his team, he would be completely vulnerable, and I could gain control."

Cisco questions, "But that makes no sense. Your powers can only allow you to show someone memories."

Taylor hesitates before answering, "By hurting and draining someone both physically and psychologically, get them to doubt everything they know, you can mold them into whatever you want. Essentially, I brainwashed him."

Joe feels sick to his stomach. What kind of person could do this to another human being? Especially to Barry? Not being able to hear anything more come from this man's mouth, he turns and leaves.

"Dad?" Wally calls, concerned. The young man runs after his father. "Are you okay?"

"I… I don't know, son."

After a moment of walking in silence, Wally asks, "You weren't really going to make a deal with him, were you?"

"Never in my lifetime. I want that man to rot in Iron Heights for the rest of his miserable life. I only told him that to get him to talk." Joe responds, hatred peppering his voice.

* * *

"Based on what you're telling me, there isn't going to be an instant cure." Caitlin explains to the team (minus one speedster) in the cortex.

The doctor continues, "Barry's change in personality, his aggression, all of it is psychological damage due to intense trauma. Some medication may be able to help, but most of the healing Barry is going to have to do on his own and in his own time."

"How will he get past all this if he doesn't even trust us?" Wally interjects, a dejected look on his face.

Cisco straightens, an idea coming to him, "Mind Melter has the ability to bring forth specific memories, right? Well, what if we have him show Barry some good memories of us so that he'll let us help him?"

Caitlin purses her lips. "That might work, but having Barry face the person who did this to him may cause a bad reaction. I mean, he was practically hyperventilating when he heard Erik Taylor's voice."

"So, either way, this is going to get worse before it gets better, is what you're saying?" Joe asks.

The doctor gives a hesitant nod.

Iris suddenly speaks, "No. I don't want that monster anywhere near Barry ever again." She quickly exits the cortex and walks toward the med bay.

"Wait, Iris." Her father calls as he follows her.

"I'll do a little more research then make a clear recovery plan for Barry," Caitlin comments as she shuffles some papers.

All of a sudden, quick footsteps can be heard coming down the hall toward the cortex. Joe's voice reaches the rest of the team before he does, "Barry's gone!"

* * *

 _Six Days Ago_

 _He tightly grips the porcelain sink in the dimly lit gas station bathroom. Slowly, he lifts his gaze to the hollow eyes of his reflection._

" _They hurt me." he mumbles to the empty room, "They all hurt me. What do I do?"_

 _He searches his pale, thin face as if it holds answers._

" _Make them answer for what they did to me. Make them pay." He whispers._

 _With the lightning-fast velocity that only a speedster can achieve, Barry Allen races from the small gas station and toward the Central City Police Department._


	8. Worn Down

**Thank you for joining for the final chapter of this story! I have to apologize for not updating in a few months. Life got busy and I was very limited on time. That being said, I would like to thank all the readers who have stuck around through the inconsistent updates! I hope you've enjoyed this story!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **The Flash.**_

* * *

"Barry's gone!" Joe's voice is heard just before he rushes into the cortex, panic written all over his face. His daughter runs in not far behind.

There is only a beat of complete silence before realization hits Cisco like a truck. "The pipeline!" he breathes and turns toward the computer. As quickly as his fingers can type, he pulls up the security camera feed.

It confirms, to Cisco's horror, that the speedster is indeed in the pipeline, in front of Erik Taylor's cell.

"Wally," Cisco calls, "monitor the security camera. If anything goes wrong, I want you to put the pipeline on lockdown. We can't risk either of them getting out."

"No problem." The young man responds.

The superhero then grabs the tranquilizer gun from where it is stashed. "Let's go, Joe." He calls as he marches toward the elevator.

"I'm coming too," Iris announces, then follows the men.

Caitlin speaks up on her way to the med bay, "I'll meet you down there."

* * *

The angry speedster pounds his fists on the glass of his abuser's cell. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did to me," he growls.

Suddenly Joe's deep voice from behind him shouts, "Barry!"

The broken man turns to find Joe and Iris standing behind Cisco, who has the tranquilizer gun aimed and ready to fire.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" The speedster smirks.

Cisco tenses. "We just want to help you, Barry."

He begins to slowly saunter toward the three of them until the barrel touches his chest. "And that's why you have a gun pointed at me."

"Barry, you're sick." The detective adds.

Before the young man can respond, a booming voice speaks up from the pipeline cell, "It's true, kid. You weren't meant to leave so early."

The speedster whirls around, suddenly standing so close to the glass that his breath fogs it. "You don't get a say in any of this!" he screams.

Then he turns back toward the three members of the team. "If you really care about me, he wouldn't still be alive."

"You don't mean that, Barry." Iris whispers, appalled.

"You don't know anything about me!"

"I do, Barry. I _know_ you." The young reporter slowly begins walking forward, stepping around Cisco. She continues, "You're the boy I grew up with and the man who has saved countless lives."

The speedster's body visibly tenses, and his head lowers. "Shut up." He whispers.

But Iris keeps going, taking more steps toward him, "Me, Dad, Cisco, Caitlin, Wally, all of us love you. I know deep down, you know you love us too."

"Shut up!" Barry screams more forcefully.

Yet, she continues, "Think about _why_ you're angry at Taylor-"

"I said shut up!" he roars. The speedster grabs the young woman by her shoulder and spins her around. He uses his forearms to pin her back into his chest.

"Woah!" Joe bellows, his hand automatically reaching for his belt. Meanwhile, Cisco raises the tranquilizer gun slightly higher.

However, Barry does not react to this. Instead, he growls in Iris's ear, almost mockingly, "I'm _angry_ because he tortured me. He starved me. He locked me up for months. So I would say those are pretty good reasons to be angry."

"Of course they are, Barry," Iris can't hide the terror in her voice, "but I think you're also angry that he made you distrust your family and friends, everything you know. And I think you hate him for that." She can feel Barry flinch slightly.

The others must have seen it as well because Joe adds softly, "Barr, just let Iris go, and Cisco will put down the gun. We can go up to the med bay, and Caitlin will help you."

To reinforce this, Cisco takes one hand off the gun, though still holding it in his right hand, and raises his arms to show he means no harm toward his friend. "See, Barry." He mumbles.

The speedster looks back and forth between the two men as if weighing his options. "Here's what's going to happen, you're going to let me kill him" Barry motions to the cell behind him with a movement of his head, "then you're going to let me leave."

He tightens his hold on the woman in his arms. "If you cooperate, I'll drop her off somewhere safe and sound."

"Barry, you don't have to do this." Iris pleads, "Just take a minute to remember… Like when we were thirteen and we snuck out in the middle of the night without dad knowing. We went stargazing and you showed me constellations."

The speedster jostles her slightly. "Stop. Talking."

"Or when we stayed up all night to edit the essay for your college applications to make sure it was perfect."

In response, Barry squeezes his eyelids shut and lets out a pained groan.

Iris takes this as a cue to keep going, "Call me crazy, but I would say that those are the kind of things that people who love each other do."

During this, Cisco whispers to Joe out of the corner of his mouth, "Joe, take the gun. Block the exit."

Detective West pulls it from the viber's hands. "Why? What are you going to do?" he whispers back.

Cisco makes eye contact with the villain on the other side of the glass. Both give tiny nods.

"This." Cisco mummers. Then he reaches out and swiftly unlocks the cell.

Before the speedster even understands what is going on behind him, Erik Taylor's hands shoot out and grip the young man's head.

Barry cries out at the familiar pain. His arms automatically let Iris go, and his knees hit the ground.

One last bit of betrayal is the last emotion to go through Barry's mind before memories flood in.

* * *

 _The feeling of being sucked into his own mind was, sadly, still all too familiar._

 _Barry recognized the setting immediately as Jitter's. He was walking toward Iris, Caitlin, and Cisco, who were sitting at a table, all smiling. Barry was carrying four mugs._

 _For some reason, this memory didn't have the heavy feeling that usually came with them. Instead, it felt... warm and light._

" _Alright, four Flashes," Barry announced, setting the mugs on the table. "Be careful, apparently they're super caffeinated." He continued, "First I have a day named after me. Now, I have a drink."_

" _Well, all the things you do, rebuilding this place, protecting people. Everyone's appreciative, right?" Iris responded with a smile._

" _Mmhm, I'll drink to that." Cisco threw in._

" _Yeah," Caitlin responded._

 _The four of them toasted before tasting the hot liquid._

 _The memory faded, and a new one quickly took its place._

* * *

 _He was young, although he couldn't remember exactly what age. But both his parents were there. They were sitting on the couch, Barry on his father's knee. His mother was beside them with a book in her hands, held out for the three of them to see._

 _Barry recognized it immediately. It was his favorite childhood book: The Little Dinosaur._

" _There once was a little dinosaur who lived with his mother," his father read aloud, "One day he told his mother, 'I wish I were special like the other dinosaurs. If I were a T. Rex, I could chomp with my ferocious teeth!'"_

"' _But if you were a T. Rex' said his mother," Barry's mom continued, "'how would you hug me with your tiny, little arms?'"_

"' _I wish I were an Apatosaurus' said the little dinosaur'," continued Henry, "'So with my long neck, I could see high above the treetops.'"_

"' _But if you were an Apatosaurus' said his mother, 'how would you hear me in the treetops when I told you I love you? What makes you so special, little Maiasaur?' said his mother, 'Is it your ferocious teeth, or long neck, or pointy beak? What makes you special is out of all of the different dinosaurs in the big, wide world, you have the mother-"_

" _And father" Henry threw in._

 _Nora continued, "who is just right for you, and who will always…"_

" _Love you." Both his parents said at the same time._

 _And the memory dwindled into black._

* * *

 _The next one came suddenly._

 _Barry was standing in the middle of Joe's dining room and the room was full of people, including Iris, Caitlin, Cisco, Joe, Wally, his dad, and even some women he doesn't recognize, although their names are on the tip of his tongue._

 _The table was filled with food, yet Caitlin placed down another dish. "Soup's on!" She announced._

" _Hey!" Cisco responded, "Taking out a city full of monsters makes a man hungry."_

" _First," Joe said, passing out glasses of wine, "a toast. To family"_

 _Everyone held their glasses up and responded "To family" before drinking from them._

" _That's my kind of toast, short and sweet. Let's eat." Cisco exclaimed._

 _This was followed by laughter._

 _With each memory, Barry noticed the same warm feeling… it was unfamiliar and strange._

 _Then after what felt like an eternity, reality came crashing back into focus._

* * *

Taylor drops his hands, and Barry comes out of the memory-filled trance with a shuddering gasp. He falls on his palms and knees, shaking although he doesn't feel cold.

"Barry?" Iris asks, her hand reaching for his shoulder.

As soon as she makes contact, Barry flinches away. "Don't touch me!" He shouts.

Barry's hands claw at his head. "I don't understand! I don't understand…"

No one knows what to do. It seems like the hero finally snapped.

Lightning begins sparking off his skin. His eyes look up, searching. Joe understands the expression in his son's eyes immediately: he needs to get out, escape, run.

"Wally?" the detective exclaims, hoping the boy understands. And it seems Wally does understand because the door to the pipeline begins to shut with the screeching of metal.

Before the door comes close to sealing, the clicking of heels can be heard followed by Caitlin's voice from the hallway, "Wait!" The door halts and the doctor scampers in.

"Barry," Caitlin breathes. She kneels in front of him. "The chemicals in your brain aren't balanced. But we can help you."

He responds with a mangled, "I don't… know what to believe anymore."

Caitlin pulls a capped syringe from her pocket. "If you'll let me, Barry, I can give you an injection. It'll begin balancing the chemicals in your brain. It's not a quick fix, but it'll give you some relief."

Barry raises his head and looks at the faces of each person surrounding him.

"Okay." He murmurs.

* * *

Eight months later

Barry Allen has been making a lot of progress mentally, although there's still a long way to go. Even with daily injections, courtesy of Caitlin, and therapy, being comfortable around his friends and family was and still is a daily struggle.

Although it helped significantly when Mind Melter was hauled off to Iron Heights, despite the deal Joe made with him.

Barry looks into the mirror and smooths the shirt covering his lanky frame. Today is going to be overwhelming, but he feels readier than he has in months. Today, he'll be going with Joe to the CCPD. Not to continue his job as a CSI, but to see some of his former coworkers.

Joe pokes his head through the doorway, "You ready to go, Barr?"

The speedster nods, looking into the eyes of his own reflection with confidence, "Yes, I am."

As the two of them heads out the door, Joe mentions, "Iris had the idea for the two of you to meet Cisco and Caitlin at Jitter's if you're up for it."

"That would be nice," Barry responds, "Like old times."

Joe West looks at his oldest son with a smile. "I'm glad to have you back, Barr."

Barry smiles back, although the smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm glad to have all of you back, too." And he means it with his entire mind.


End file.
